Literally, Not Figuratively
by Manchester
Summary: After the absurd events of February 29, 2008 were over and done with, no one else working for the New Council besides Faith ever dared to tease the others about yet one more bout of weirdness in the lives of the Scooby Gang.
Trying to look on the bright side of things, Xander announced to the New Council's North American headquarters conference room, "Hey, as magical curses go, I think we got off lucky this time."

The very disgusted expressions sent his way at once from every other person also occupying the second-floor room now somewhat more windy than usual only made the one-eyed man continue to argue his point.

"It's not like we're always guaranteed an easy win whenever the latest apocalypse comes around! So what if tonight's search-and-destroy mission on one more Evil Overdork demon trying to take over the Cleveland Hellmouth ended up with us needing to deal with a pretty silly detail that'll be over-"

From outside the building where she'd landed in the back garden, a young woman's loud, menacing voice drifted past the recent feminine-shaped hole punched into the rear wall, "Xan, shut the hell up before I do something really nasty to you! Willow! Why didn't _you_ tell us about that stupid magician's wards before we attacked?"

From where she was carefully standing motionless in one corner of the room, the Red Witch glared towards the exposed wall gap which was still dribbling the occasional brick fragment onto the floor as a result of Buffy's unthinking action less than a minute ago that had sent her hurtling all the way through a former hotel's exterior side.

Taking a deep breath to rein in her temper, Willow shouted back with her own best sarcastic tone, "What, did you actually warn the rest of the Slayers fighting with you to watch out for overflowing water balloons that might be thrown at everyone then? That's how dumb his protections were, which was why nobody felt anything when we stormed the place! It's the same reason they took so long to work!"

The only one fortunate enough to have been seated at the exact moment a now-deceased demonic sorcerer got his tiny bit of terminal revenge tonight, Giles at the head of the conference room table rapped a knuckle onto the tabletop to get their attention. Alas, this included himself, Xander, Dawn, Willow, Vi, Rona, and Caridad who'd been on this evening's raid several months before the fifth anniversary of Sunnydale's collapse when they'd all battled against the First Evil.

It'd been a rare occasion when these people were in the same city, much less the same continent, in the course of their duties of safeguarding the world from supernatural threats. When the news of a particularly inept nuisance making his move at last had gathered in as well completely by accident Dawn visiting from Oxford, Buffy grabbed the closest people on hand and sped to the rescue, leaving behind a truly pissed-off Faith to hold down the fort-

A half-dozen abrupt flashes of light flickered in the wall gap, followed by that previously mentioned Slayer's gloating cackles, "Hey, B, gimme a real nice smile for the camera! Think I'll call that one _Blonde On Her Butt In Rose Bushes._ "

"GET BACK HERE! DON'T YOU DARE PUT THOSE ONLINE!"

"Gotta catch me first, an' it ain't like you can come after me, right?"

The screech of pure rage issuing then from outside swiftly changed into an irate demand, "WILS! When's it going to stop?"

Making a cautious twist of her upper body while keeping everything else below her waist stock-still, Willow glanced at the antique grandfather clock on the other side of the conference room which was part of this space's furnishings. On the dial face, this clock's pair of hands currently pointed to 11:46.

Returning to her former position with a sigh of relief when nothing dire occurred as a result of her moving, Willow called out, "Fifteen more minutes, Buffy!"

Heeding the surpassingly frustrated growl from a quite grumpy Slayer entangled below in the aromatic foliage also possessing a good many thorns that this news caused to reach their ears, a prudent Willow then mimed in absolute silence for the others a thorough shrug and palms held up at belt level conveying the message this _might_ be true. Or not.

Even so, the younger Summers sister didn't take this very well, as indicated by her sudden pained groan. The conference room's occupants simultaneously stared in shared concern at how Dawn then clutched her stomach with both hands.

Xander was the first to worriedly ask her, "Dawn, what's wrong?"

Wincing at an increasing sensation of lower intestinal discomfort issuing from behind her navel, Dawn gave Xander a sickly grin. "From what I figure, I really shouldn't have added extra jalapenos to my breakfast chili this morning."

Willow joined the conversation at that point, her own face now bearing a reassuring expression. She helpfully pointed out, "Just hold on a little while longer, Dawnie. Then, it'll be safe-"

Another, much more forceful groan issued from the Key's lips. This came with Dawn beginning to turn pale while still pressing her fingers onto a rumbling belly now quite audible to everyone else in the conference room even for those without Slayer hearing. All too cognizant of approaching doom, Dawn choked out, "Forget it! I'm not gonna last even five minutes more! Get the door, Rona!"

At her position where she'd been trapped by the curse next to the conference room door closed by Rona just a second before it occurred, that Slayer carefully reached behind herself to take hold again of the door handle. Still without otherwise shifting any other part of her body, Rona smoothly pulled the door open, leaving the bare minimum of space for Dawn to get through there into the hallway beyond and the women's restroom at the corridor end.

Except, the hallway was presently filled with the remainder of the Cleveland House's warrior girls who'd thankfully missed all the fun earlier when the Scooby Gang had returned after a successful rescue mission unknowingly bearing with themselves one really idiosyncratic magical curse linked to tonight's date. Unabashedly eavesdropping onto everything taking place in the conference room, those Slayers had also heard the sounds of Buffy Summers' mistake which resulted in their leader losing a great deal of her dignity and moreover getting a whole bunch of sharp pointy thorns stuck where it was nobody's business but hers and the house medical staff.

This fascinated crowd of supernaturally-enhanced girls in the corridor then flinched at how Dawn facing them sent towards all there a deadly glare, along with screaming at nobody in particular, "CLEAR THE HALL! GET OUT OF THE DAMN WAY, OR I'LL TRAMPLE YOU! SOMEONE, OPEN UP THE BATHROOM AND CLOSEST STALL DOOR!"

Obeying at once, the Slayers outside the conference room scattered in all directions. Two of these young ladies listening in front of the women's restroom also did their part at the instructions yelled at the top of Dawn Summers' lungs, scurrying into the facilities and making sure the Key had an unobstructed path directly to the nearest toilet.

Without waiting for any acknowledgement of her demands, Dawn began to move forward…and the demon sorcerer's curse struck again.

Instead of doing a completely ordinary stride ahead with both her legs, Dawn's right leg bent all on its own. With a burst of pure muscle, she _leapt._

It was a graceful jump of at least a yard in length and possibly more, causing her to soar onwards in a curve which ended with Dawn landing on her left foot…which did exactly the same thing, in yet another tremendous leap towards the door.

Grimacing at how much effort it was taking, along with how it was completely uncontrollable save for managing to mostly stay in the proper direction, Dawn bounded towards the door, ducking her head in time to prevent cracking the top of her skull against the upper doorway edge when she passed through there.

Twisting their heads to watch this while not daring to move their own legs lest the same thing happen to them (as Buffy had accidentally done), Giles, Willow, and Xander helplessly observed Dawn pass from out of their sightlines. They could only listen then, to Dawn's grunt of effort to turn on her heel to keep from crashing into the corridor's far wall. Next came even more thuds indicating Dawn was leaping her way down the hall, jump by jump.

There was a sudden gleeful cheer from the Slayers elsewhere in the corridor, along with some applause and admiring comments, indicating Dawn had made it to the ladies'. This ended in the muffled clang of bathroom doors slamming shut, mercifully preventing anyone from listening further to anything more from inside.

Heaving mutual sighs of relief, the Scoobies in the conference room then heard from outside Buffy yelling, "Is that it? Can I hunt Faith down now?"

Those in the room automatically checked the grandfather clock. It still stubbornly insisted midnight hadn't yet occurred.

Trading sardonic stares amongst themselves, Xander took on the task of informing an impatient Slayer, "A few more minutes, Buffster!"

Doing a mystical gesture which both muted the conference room occupants and cut off Buffy's bloodthirsty plans to make Faith pay in full measure, Willow glumly announced to all there, "I'll go over the spell again a few more times. Honestly, I have no idea just why that demon linked his curse to February 29, aside making us behave as if today's Leap Day meant we should all leap around like kangaroos!"

Vi contributed her own aggravated, "But it'll be okay when it changes to March 1? We go back to normal, thank God?"

Willow paused, to then reluctantly answer, "…I'm _almost_ certain. Ninety-nine percent, even!"

An appalled Giles asked for everyone staring at the witch in mutual horror. "Ah, Willow, you mean there's a chance it's permanent?"

"Not the way you put it, Giles," Willow looked around, trying to think of the best way to explain it. "We should be fine tomorrow - today in the next couple of minutes - but, er, just in case around four years from now on the next February 29 in 2012, it'd be a good idea to get together again so if it's leaping time again, I can fix it. I don't really think it'll start all over on February 29, 2016, but you never know…"


End file.
